Analiza:En busca del esquivo desarrollo regional:entre la Caja Negra y el proyecto político; El vuelo de una cometa.Una metáfora para una teoría del desarrollo territorial.La mesoeconomía territorial:Interacción entre personas e instituciones.

Much of the scholarly and professional literature on development focuses either on the ‘macro’ level of national policies and politics or on the ‘micro’ level of devel- ment projects and household or community socio-economic dynamics. By contrast, this collection pitches itself at the ‘meso’ level with a comparative exploration of the ways in which local institutions – municipalities, local governments, city authorities, civil society networks and others – have demanded, and taken on, a greater role in planning and managing development in the Latin American region. The book’s rich empirical studies reveal that local institutions have engaged upwards, with central authorities, to shape their policy and resource environments and in turn, been pressured from ‘below’ by local actors contesting the ways in which the structures and processes of local governance are framed. The examples covered in this volume range from global cities, such as Mexico and Santiago, to remote rural areas of the Bolivian and Brazilian Amazon. As a result the book provides a deep understanding of the diversity and complexity of local governance and local development in Latin America, while avoiding the stereotyped claims about the impact of globalisation or the potential benefits of decentralisation, as frequently stated in less empirically grounded analysis.

The Indian question has come to the forefront of political agendas in contemporary Latin America. In the process, indigenous movements have emerged as important social actors, raising a variety of demands on behalf of native peoples. Regardless of the situation of Indian groups as small minorities or significant sectors, many Latin American states have been forced to consider whether they should have the same status as all citizens or whether they should be granted special citizenship rights as Indians. This book examines the struggle for indigenous rights in eight Latin American countries. Initial studies of indigenous movements celebrated the return of the Indians as relevant political actors, often approaching their struggles as expressions of a common, generic agenda. This collection moves the debate forward by acknowledging the extraordinary diversity among the movements composition, goals, and strategies. By focusing on the factors that shape this diversity, the authors offer a basis for understanding the specificities of converging and diverging patterns across different countries. The case studies examine the ways in which the Indian question arises in each country, with reference to the protagonism of indigenous movements in the context of the threats and opportunities posed by neoliberal policies. The complexities posed by the varying demographic weight of indigenous populations, the interrelation of class and ethnicity, and the interplay between indigenous and popular struggles are discussed.

Territorial development in Latin America and the Caribbean is a process that calls for consensus-building and innovation in the fields of planning and land management. This publication points out that the potential spatial synergies of this highly urbanized continent can be used to convert its rich diversity into a resource that can help promote the future progress of its cities and territories. The study takes a multidimensional approach to the analysis of a variety of issues relating to the region's human settlements, including the urbanization process, social integration, economic progress, environmental sustainability and the building of citizenship.

The era of globalization is creating profound changes in global relationships, changes that are manifest at international, regional, national, and sub-national levels, making traditional regional development policy obsolete and irrelevant. Traditional policy needs to be redefined and reconstructed so it can capture and articulate emerging regional trends and issues. The first of four volumes based mainly on Global Forum on Regional Development Policy organized by the United Nations Centre for Regional Development in Nagoya, Japan, this book presents a broad theoretical and trend analysis of globalization and its effects on the theory and practice of regional development. The book lays out the major components that merit consideration if there is to be new regional planning in this millennium. While contributors to the volume do not agree on the effects of globalization on economic growth, there is a consensus in the volume that globalization presents a challenge to conventional development theories. The challenge for regional planners is to examine the impact and implications of recent structural changes on regional development planning and come up with viable and pragmatic regional development strategies. This volume begins to meet that challenge by laying out the major components that merit consideration. The following volumes will present detailed case studies of current regional planning practices, focusing largely on developing countries.